Chester County arson case: Revenge for Zimmerman verdict?

EAST CALN — A fire that damaged a Boot Road business Sunday night was ruled an arson, and graffiti left on the building appeared to reference the recent verdict in a high-profile Florida murder trial.

Firefighters were dispatched to the Pro Signs store about 11 p.m. in the 200 block of Boot Road for reports of smoke in a building. In addition to three separate fires, investigators said firefighters discovered signs of a break-in and accelerants inside the building. Threatening graffiti was also found on sides of the building, law enforcement officials said.

According to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office, the words “Kill Zimmerman” were written in red spray paint on the front side of the building. Threatening graffiti was also written on the rear of the building, officials said.

Late Saturday night, a jury in Florida found George Zimmerman not guilty of murder and manslaughter charges in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a black teenager. The jury appeared to agree with the defense position that the shooting was done in self defense. The verdict sparked protests in several large American cities but no related incidents had been reported in Chester County.

The District Attorney’s Office declined to confirm what was written on the back side of the Pro Signs building near Downingtown, but a source connected to the area’s volunteer fire service said firefighters found the words “kill whites” and “Kill Zimmerman” spray painted on the building.

A Daily Local News photographer at the site Monday took a photograph clearly showing the words “Kill Zimmerman.”

An antique Studebaker vehicle was set ablaze inside the building, and plastic bottles filled with fuel were also found inside, a friend of the business’s owner said Monday morning.

According to law enforcement officials, the store’s owners said they were unaware of why their Pro Signs business would be targeted in such an attack.

The investigation is ongoing, officials said.

Officials estimated the building sustained damages of about $500,000. No one was injured in the incident, and authorities did not name any suspects.

Late Monday afternoon, Downingtown Police turned the investigation over to the Chester County Detectives office.